steves1966
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| posted on 25/12/02 at 05:35 PM |
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Where do I go from here?
OK, so its Christmas day and Ive had The Book bought for me
Ive been following the threads on here for a few weeks and I was wondering what the best route was next
I should be in a position to be able to start building something by March or April (once the extension and double(ish) garage is built, but what do
you think that I should be aiming to do
I currently own a vw campervan that I will be selling soon - this has given me a bit of bodywork welding experience and some mechanical experience
along with it.
I am keen to get going on making a car as soon as I can, I dont fancy all of the bodywork stuff so i will probably buy that sort of stuff, however I
am almost convinced that I should be building my own chassis, I have seen some mention of some other plans that I should use, any one know where I get
hold of them?
Also I want something that will be a bit challenging to drive (eventually) so i dont really want to go down the 1100 route, but on the other side I
dont want to spend a fortune on a 300hp cosworth car either.
Is there a real difference making a bike engine based car or should I stick to 'something ' else untill it has been registered ( I dont really want
a Q plate - for no particular reason)
Thats probably enough for now
Any help will be appreciated
Steve
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interestedparty
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| posted on 25/12/02 at 06:38 PM |
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I would suggest that, if you don't already have an exact idea of what you want to do, then do exactly what the book says and build a car based on a
mk2 escort though ideally with a 1600 xflow engine. When you are ready for it, buy glassfibre bodywork (available from a number of sources).
If in the meantime you decide you fancy a bike engined car (BEC) then do that instead.
If, like me, you change your mind half way through a project, then do exactly that. More than once I've reclaimed the vast majority of the steel in a
nearly built chassis and tried something else.
One of the good things about a Locost project is that, apart from tools and somewhere to do it, the main expenditure comes towards the end of the
project, when you need to buy wheels and tyres, decent seats, maybe get the engine reconditioned, pay for decent carburettors etc, so you don't need
to spend much until you know the project is sucessful and nearly finished
John
John
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list-- I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed-- who never would be missed!
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billy
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| posted on 25/12/02 at 08:55 PM |
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new build
hi mate,merry christmas.my little bit of advise to you is you must have an idea of what you would be happy driving,if you do then try and stick to
it,cos if you get half way thro and move the goal posts,and end up doing something else,theres a good chance that you may not be happy at the end of
the day.this happend to me on my build,i went down the route of putting a pinto in my locost(now calling there self luago)but after fitting the engine
i went to a sprint day and saw a westfield with a 16v 2.0l vauxhal motor in it.wow i thought thats what i realy want to see in my kit.so i got home
and set about ripping it out,and now ive got the motor that i want in the car (took abit longer ) but im happy that i did it. so if you got an idea
what you want try and stick to that idea. oh sorry to waffle on.lol
luego-lo-cost finished,vauxhall 16v 2.0,twin 45s de-dion rear set up
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interestedparty
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| posted on 25/12/02 at 09:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by billy
hi mate,merry christmas.my little bit of advise to you is you must have an idea of what you would be happy driving,if you do then try and stick to
it,cos if you get half way thro and move the goal posts,and end up doing something else,theres a good chance that you may not be happy at the end of
the day.this happend to me on my build,i went down the route of putting a pinto in my locost(now calling there self luago)but after fitting the engine
i went to a sprint day and saw a westfield with a 16v 2.0l vauxhal motor in it.wow i thought thats what i realy want to see in my kit.so i got home
and set about ripping it out,and now ive got the motor that i want in the car (took abit longer ) but im happy that i did it. so if you got an idea
what you want try and stick to that idea. oh sorry to waffle on.lol
So are you saying it's a bad thing to change your mind, or a good thing? Sounds to me like you're glad you changed your mind about the engine
John
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list-- I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed-- who never would be missed!
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billy
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| posted on 25/12/02 at 10:18 PM |
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i am happy now cos at the begining of the build when i knew nothing about kit cars i was told that the 2.0 16v engine was THE engine to use in a kit
car,and cos i had driven a astra car using the engine,i thought oh yes that would be 1 wild car to drive,so in my mind that was what i wanted. but i
ended up spending loads on the build and changed my mind to put a pinto engine in,to save on cost,but from that point on i was never happy cos i knew
what i realy wanted. then on seeing a car all finished and running i was pig sick that i never stuck to my original dream.so you live and lern
luego-lo-cost finished,vauxhall 16v 2.0,twin 45s de-dion rear set up
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steves1966
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| posted on 26/12/02 at 12:20 PM |
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thanks for the swift replies, I have been told by the wife that I should buy a pre built chassis the first time so that I dont lose interest in the
first stage!
It sounds like the Luego is a good choice from previous posts and they have some decent offers on at the moment, just hope the garage is finished
before the offers end!
No doubt you'll be hearing more from me
Cheers
Steve
PS I still might end up changing my mind!
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kingr
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| posted on 26/12/02 at 12:50 PM |
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Although I am comapatively early on in the build process, from my stand point the biggest decision is going to be about budget and to a certain
extent, time. It is entirely possible just to go for the "plough money into it" route, and provided your skills are up to it, you will end up with a
very good car, or you can go the "stick to book budget" route (nigh on imposible it would appear so get any thoughts of £250 cars out of your head)
which can result in very good cars, but from what I have seen, often doesn't. Or you can go for the middle ground that a lot of people seem to go for
of a budget of around £2000-£4000 which should give you the financial flexibility to produce a car to a high standard, or you can build a complete
dog.... the choice is yours.
The other factor, time, appears to be quite strongly controlled by how much you deviate from the book, as Mr. Gusterson will tell you. I'd recommend
you buy the tiger book, which although some poeple slag it off, and it's not a very good book in it's own right (I think most people can work out
how to own a tiger without the need for an entire chapter to explain it) it does compliment the RC book very nicely, and brings thinks up to date a
bit (motorbike engines and IRS).
As regards the book plans, although I don't have any personal experience of it, the opinion seems to be that some of the measurements are perhaps a
little "creative". I have used the McSorley plans and so far (only about 2 more tubes to place) I can only give them praise. There were a couple of
points where I couldn't find a specific dimension that I needed, but a quick bit of trig and that was sorted. So, thank you very much Mr McSorley.
They are located at : mcsorley.net .
So, good luck and have fun, whatever choice you take, I'm sure we'll see a lot more of you on here 
Kingr
P.S. The other good thing about the McSorley plans, is that when asked about what you're building by someone down the pub, you can perfectly
innocently say, "I'm building a McSorley" which they will almost definately never have heard of but sounds infinitely better than "I'm building a
locost" that just makes you sound like a prat, and almost always merits the reply "low cost what?".
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 26/12/02 at 03:38 PM |
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I agree entirely with KingR about the Mcsorley plans, I used the Book chassis plans which were fully sorted and accurate.
Where I would differ, is deciding which plans to go for. I started on my chassis before I had a donor thinking I would get a Mk2 Escort at some point
and carry on from there. THERE ARE NO MORE MK2 ESCORTS LEFT!!!, they all wrapped up in 1"x1" RHS! I used a Capri rear axle and did (eventually) find a
pair of Mk5 Cortina front uprights. The Capri axle is wider than the escort and I now wish I had used the wider McSorley plans which would have given
me more arse room and more lattitude with the diff casing where it enters the transmission tunnel. I still dont have a donor as such, but I do have a
rolling chassis ready for Sierra engine, box and steering column.
I would get yourself a rear axle first (with or without the rest of the donor) and then choose the plans - they are GOOD.
The image is to show you what I was forced to do with the transmission tunnel to accomodate the rear axle at the expence of the available seat room (I
will have to move the seats 2" forward to compensate.
 
Rescued attachment DCP_0373sml.jpg
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 12:15 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by steves1966
thanks for the swift replies, I have been told by the wife that I should buy a pre built chassis the first time so that I dont lose interest in the
first stage!
Building the chassis is one of the most rewarding parts of the project. You see things taking shape relatively quickly.
Its things like getting the wiring loom in, mounting the engine, and the other seemingly trivial time consuming tasks that take up the time!
If you are the kinda person that doesnt see long projects through, think about buying a kit - building a locost will take around 400 hrs of your time
- make sure you can do the hours in the timescale you can stick with.
Also, build something STANDARD. Use a live rear axle like the book. There are nutters here that adapt their car to use abs, V6 engines, weird rear
suspension, and try and make the whole thing look like a morgan. Should be certified. Poor git has been on the project over two years and it could run
another one.
atb
steve
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Alan B
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 01:06 AM |
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I agree with Steve, building the chassis is a relatively quick job and will help to keep you motivated due to the satisfaction factor.
Talking about nutters....some people don't even put their engines in the same end of the car as the book......mental
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steves1966
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 01:11 PM |
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This is quite good, it seems like I can ask almost any question and get a reply!!
Is there somewhere that you can get pre cut metal for the chassis? I like the idea of building my own chassis, but am concerened about the overall
time it is all going to take. I fancy idea also of one of the luego kits that have just about everything included except a donor car (theres a MK2
escort for sale in the postoffice window for 125 - tatty but running) if anyone want the number I can get it cos I wont be ready for it for a few
months
Still undecided
Steve
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Stu16v
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 02:00 PM |
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I'm sure that Luego sold the chassis kits in pre cut metal form (but I may stand corrected). But honestly, the chassis is the easy bit, even if you
cut the metal yourself. It took me about three weeks to have the chassis fully made from lengths of steel. What is time consuming if building yourself
is stuff like fabricating suspension brackets, IMO extremely repetitive, and quite difficult to make accurately, especially with tools found in the
average shed! Best to buy stuff like this in.
Dont just build it.....make it!
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bob
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 05:23 PM |
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Hello steve
Depending on how much working room you have should determine your work schedule,getting the donor 1st would be a good idea if space is minimal.
Strip out all the parts you want to keep and pile them up in corner or under bench,the mk3/4/5 cortina is a good choice as it has a majority of the
components needed.You can always swap the heavy and tall pinto for a x/flow or whatever takes your fancy,if your going book version then the x/flow
would be best and easier to follow.
I would have definatly taken this route if building my own chassis,but thats my opinion and i'm sure there will be lots of suggestions for you to
mull over.
Where abouts are you anyway ?,there may be someone building local to you.
[Edited on 27/12/02 by bob]
[Edited on 27/12/02 by bob]
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interestedparty
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 05:31 PM |
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Yes, Cortina is a good choice if you can find one, those front uprights are used on just about everything bar Sierra-based cars. And, of course, you
can swap bits you don't want for bits you do (hopefully)
John
[Edited on 27/12/02 by interestedparty]
As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list-- I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground,
And who never would be missed-- who never would be missed!
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Stu16v
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 05:33 PM |
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But which ever route you take, there will be times when you wished you had never started it. If this happens, try and grab a ride in a car.....just to
remind you of what it's all about
[Edited on 27/12/02 by Stu16v]
Dont just build it.....make it!
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bob
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 05:49 PM |
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Yep stu is right it really does help if you blag a ride now and then,you can actually get garageitus as mrs bob has offen told me.
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steves1966
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 07:29 PM |
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Thanks for the support, I will probably end up building the chassis and buying the harder bits - I can detect a bit of a theme coming out in the
responses.
I am close to Fareham, which is half way between Portsmouth and Southampton, if there is anyone close (ish) that fancies letting me have a look at a
locost in the flesh it would be much appreciated.
I have seen that there is a kit car show on March 8th, whic I think I will go along to (with a friend who seems to have been bitten by the bug a bit
as well)
I have downloaded the McSorley plans from McSorley.net, what are the sort of differences between these and the book drawings that I should be looking
for?
Cheers
Steve
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Jasper
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| posted on 27/12/02 at 08:26 PM |
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The McSorley plans are just 'Book' plans with all the inaccuracies taken out. I used them and they were stop on. Print 'em up and use them to cut
the angles out on, your don't even need a protractor...
As for what route you decide to take, I think it comes down to 3 things, the use you want to put the car to, budget, and how much you're gonna enjoy
the build process.
I decided that I wanted a racer, for local use around the country lanes in live in, and track days, so no windscreen and very light weight. I also
decided I want to build from scratch as I wanted to learn to weld and I've really enjoyed the process. As for budget, I knew I really wanted a bike
engine car (I've owned a few bikes) and thought I would save a few quid building the chassis to put into the engine. I've also been able to adapt
the chassis to fit me and the engine. PS I've got very little mechanical experience.
There are Cortina/Escort donors out there, I got mine in under 2 weeks of looking for £30.
Getting a ride is a great idea, I've only been in bike engines cars and they've done nothing but scare the poo out of me!!
Whatever you decide to do enjoy. I live near Brighton and your welcome to come over for a visit....
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scutter
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 posted on 28/12/02 at 01:30 AM |
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Steves1966, you're not in too bad an area for locosts.
I organize a meeting every third monday of the month at the Sir John Barleycorn Inn at Cadnam,near southampton. There's a group of about 8 of us at
various stages of build, including 2 on the road ! (might not be about during the winter months, big girls blouses).
And if you need a fry up,(who doesn't) I can recommend visiting the west london mafia(Don't let the name scare you, there a likable bunch).
You can drop me an E-mail off list if you wish.
Take care and good luck.
Dan.
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Duncan
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| posted on 28/12/02 at 04:05 PM |
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Hi Steve.
I would like to offer you some advice. I would grab that £125 Escort now if I were you. Buy it now and store it somewhere. I can almost guarantee
that you will not be able to find one when you finally decide you need it.
Getting all the donor parts from one Escort will definitely make your life easier, plus you will get a log book for an age related plate.
Go buy it now!
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steves1966
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| posted on 28/12/02 at 05:01 PM |
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hmmmm
Finding somewhere to store it could be the fun part, then theres always the convincing the wife that I 'need' it.
Wonder if I can get away with it!
By the way Dan, thanks for the info, I may take a spin down there one evening
Steve
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Sideways 2 Victory
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| posted on 2/1/03 at 11:47 AM |
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Hi Steve,
I'm in Southampton and you're more than welcome to pop over and have a look at my car. (Book spec with race tweaks)
It's at the rolling chassis stage with just the engine, seats and exhaust to fit.
I have to admit my motivation has dropped off a bit recently, my garage leaks like a seive atm.
Reading the SVA manual that put the wind up me a bit too and knocked my enthusiasm a bit too.
It would be good for me to have some other Locosters locally to kick my arse back into gear.
BTW "SCUTTER" if you read this - I would like to attend your next meeting if thats ok? U Gonna come as well Steve?
Good luck
Dave
www.nurburgring.org
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steves1966
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| posted on 2/1/03 at 01:46 PM |
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Hi Dave
Thanks for the invite, I'll probably take you up on it some time. Im pretty interested in going along to the club one Monday so we'll have to sort
some thing out so the 2 new boys can turn up together
If you want o to get me off here my email is steve@sjsconsulting.co.uk
cheers
Steve
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scutter
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| posted on 2/1/03 at 03:08 PM |
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I wouldn't worry about the "new boys" syndrome, I have enough problems getting every other bugger to turn up.
BTW Sideways keep plodding along, the farm building i'm using leaks and doesn't even have a double door on it yet.
See you both soon. Dan
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